A Year of New Things…
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Here we are into another year! Happy 2022! I love that the start of a new one creates space for us to stop and think back on the one we just came out of. I always love taking the time to reflect on all that has transpired over the last year and each year.
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2021 brought a lot of great things for Coley Kuyper Art and our little family and although there were lots of hard times and stress (because– 6 little ones), looking back on it all I’m filled with gratitude for the ways we’ve grown and all that God has brought our way.
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I have so many things brewing for this year that I can hardly wait to share! A lot of shifts in my business and creative work that’s being done behind the scenes to bring more beauty to your life and inspire you to live with more intentionality and creativity.
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A New Approach…
If you follow me on Instagram you might have noticed that I’ve scaled back a bit on how much I’ve shown up there. The holidays always bring out the longing for me to slow down and be more present. As the years have gone on, and my kids have gotten bigger, I’m finding myself longing for this more and more. It’s no secret that the IG platform has changed immensely over the past 5 years. Last year it felt even more so than ever before to keep up with the numbers game.
I never wanted my business and selling my artwork to rely fully on Instagram alone. Not only is it unhealthy, it's unsustainable for the growth of what I want to do and who I want to become as a brand, an artist, and a person. This is not to say I don’t love the connection it brings and the ways it allows you to be a part of glimpses of my life and share what I’m working on in an up close and personal way. I do love how it’s allowed me to talk directly to people who have enjoyed following along and bring in new ones that may have never found me otherwise. But if the only way for me to keep what I post in front of these followers or find potentially new ones is to spend more and more time on the app and post more than I have time in a day for, then I know something isn’t quite right or working in the way I want to connect with the people that truly want to follow along and hear from me.
With that said, I’ve taken some time to really think about the way I want to approach the online world more intentionally this year. I don’t want to get so lost in it all that I miss out and forget the reason why I’m here– to bring more beautiful artwork and products to your world as an everyday reminder that your life is worthy of the beauty it’s intended for.
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The Calling I have and Why I’m Here…
If you haven’t heard me say it yet, I’ll say it again–you are meant for beauty. Your life, no matter the circumstances, no matter your story, was created for and intended to experience beauty. And it is my heart's deepest desire to see you not only experience it, but to live out the beauty you are meant for. That’s the whole reason I create artwork and write quotes that bring life, and make meaningful products. Whether it’s a greeting card, or a canvas painting, or a simple desk calendar you look at every day, they are all to remind you that beauty is in your midst and waiting for you to experience it.
No, I’m not going anywhere–but I did think it is important to let you in on how I’ll be showing up slightly differently this year. My hope through all of this is to build more relationships and deeper connections with you as I continue to grow Coley Kuyper Art and create meaningful artwork for the world to see. I want to keep my eyes and heart focused on what I’ve been called to do through creating artwork. So by sharing this with you, I guess I see it as a way to hold myself accountable to all of this and also a way to let you into the journey I’m on and where I’m heading.
So moving forward into 2022, here are some reasons why I’ve given thought to these changes and where you know you can find me in the year ahead…
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5 Reasons I’m Approaching Social Media Differently and How You Can Connect With Me More…
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1. To Be more present in my real life
The time I spend away from my phone has me realizing how much I crave that. While I’ve been sucked into the black hole social media more than I’d like to admit, I’m determined this year to not let that happen. Being aware of the time I spend on it is key, especially when my kiddos are around me. I want to be fully present in the moment I’m in and being on IG often leads me to be “other places” in my mind when I open it up. While I know I won’t always do it perfectly, some of the ways I’m going to make a shift are: taking time off the app on weekends, only posting during working hours, delegating someone to post for business purposes when needed.
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2. To use social media as a tool in the bigger picture of my biz, not letting it use me
Don’t get me wrong. I do believe social media is an amazing tool that our generation has been given. Especially for so many small business owners. I think like all things in life, too much of a good thing without boundaries can lead to unhealthiness, and I have felt that creep in for me with IG time and time again. I will still show up there and I will still bring more content to my little corner of the online realm every now and then, you just know now that when I do it is with purpose and intention behind everything I may share. Whether that’s to create a connection with you, let you in on something new I’m working on, get your opinion on a new product, or share a snippet of our story.
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3. To use my time behind the scenes more wisely in order to create more
Like I said before, I can get easily sucked into the dark hole of social media and doing that leads me away from the dreams and goals I have. I want to use more of my time behind the scenes to paint more and create new products (not more and more IG content) so that you may have even more beauty in your life to tangibly hold onto. Lots of fun things are in the works for this year!
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4. To share content for deeper connection, not to keep up to the hype
With the ever changing ways social media is these days, it’s easy to get sucked into keeping up with the numbers game and hype of it all. I’ve found myself doing this more than I’d like to admit and while it may get me a few new views, I’ve found how it's more times than not steered me away from my actual goals and what I want to bring into the world. I want to share things that inspire me, bring beauty to this world, and create connections with others in deep and meaningful ways and I know that just keeping up with the numbers is not the way to do that.
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5. Connecting with you in spaces that you can approach on your terms
This is in connection with reason number 4 so you know how you can expect to hear from me this year and moving forward. These platforms are places you can always find me with more meaningful and thorough content for whenever it works for you or is on your mind, instead of trying to scroll through IG and get lost in it or feel like you’re missing out on what I’m sharing there.
More frequent and meaningful blog posts sharing new artwork I’m working on, behind the scenes of our real life and story, DIY projects I'm trying out with my kids, and anything that’s on my heart that I believe will bring more beauty to your world.
Although IG is a great quick way to connect for a minute, I’ve found that cultivating my email community that has come along the last year has been so much more rewarding. I’ve gotten to hear from people all across the world and how my artwork is being found and what it’s bringing to your life. Through my emails and "Monthly Notes", I’ll be sharing even more content, behind the scenes and thoughts on my heart than anywhere else.
I’m constantly using this platform to create new work and save things I’m inspired by. It’s kind of like a peek into my creative brain where you can always come back for more to see what I’m loving, ways I’m wanting to decorate a room, plan a party, or paint a picture. So if you’re ever curious what I’m into at the moment, this is the space to follow along and get more frequent inspiration from me.
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So if ever you’re wondering “I wonder what Coley’s been up to?” or “Has Coley put out anything new yet” you can know that the first places you’ll hear the places I listed above in much more thorough and thought out ways. Anything shared on IG will just be snippets of those things along the way. :)
I hope this year brings more beauty than you’ve ever experienced before. Even as the hard or stressful or trying times come, I pray you will lean into them and choose to grow and work through the pain and give yourself grace and see the beauty that’s awaiting you on the other side of it. Can’t wait to see all this year will bring.
Thank you for being here, friends.
2 comments
Love your words and heart behind what you create and how you go about the process.
Thank you so much for sharing this! My oldest daughter just completed her thesis and it was all about true beauty! Your art is definitely a breath of beauty in my home! Have a blessed New Year!